If you’re in need of a little fall baking inspiration, here’s a great recipe adapted from Betty Crocker Cookies, Irresistibly Easy Recipes for Every Occasion. Betty Crocker calls them Pumpkin Bread Breakfast Cookies. They are wholesome oat cookies, perfect for breakfast or a snack. Throw in a handful of cinnamon or butterscotch chips and they'll be dessert-worthy.
I made the pumpkin cookies twice. First, I made them with non-dairy “plant butter” in place of butter so they’d be dairy free and vegan. I also used pecans instead of walnuts.
For the second round I made the cookies with butter (as directed) and used the walnuts.
Both versions were good, but the version made with butter had just a tad better texture -- a little softer and less chewy. But the plant butter texture was still good too.
For the first batch, I underbaked a few of the cookies and can tell you that these are best fully to over-baked, so make sure to leave them in the oven long enough. They also have a much better texture when completely cool, so don't be too tempted to try them warm.
I did not bake all the dough at once, but rather made dough circles to bake "as needed" which means until I get my hands on some cinnamon chips.
Recipe
Pumpkin Bread Breakfast Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup chopped walnuts pecans okay, too
- 1 cup granulated sugar 190 grams
- ½ cup packed brown sugar 100 grams
- 2 sticks 8 oz of butter, I used salted at room temperature
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 ⅔ cup all-purpose flour 210 grams
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups oats old fashioned or quick
- 1 cup sweetened dried cranberries
- ½ cup raw unsalted pepitas
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper if baking immediately, or skip this step of you plan on chilling the dough.
- Finely chop ½ cup of the walnuts, then set aside both the finely chopped and remaining ¼ cup chopped walnuts.
- In a large bowl, beat granulated sugar, brown sugar and butter with an electric mixer until blended. Add pumpkin and maple syrup. Mix well. Beat in flour, pumpkin pie spice, ground cinnamon, baking soda, and salt until blended. Stir in the oats, cranberries, pepitas and reserved ½ cup finely chopped walnuts. Mix well.
- Drop batter by quarter cupfuls onto dinner plates lined with plastic wrap. Press into 3 inch rounds and chill until ready to bake. Alternatively,drop batter by quarter cupfuls onto parchment lined baking sheets. Spread each round with a metal spatula to make a 3 inch round. Sprinkle cookie with about 1 ½ teaspoons chopped walnuts.
- Bake 15 to 17 minutes or until edges are set.
Anna says
Lisa, I love it! A lot of the recipes can be found on their site, but the book has revised them somewhat and has also added tips, ingredient info and history. So yes, there are a lot of classics some of which have been modernized. There are also new recipes that I haven't found online. It's also nice to just have everything in book form.
Lisa A Langston says
Hey! How do you like the new Betty Crocker cookbook? Do you think it has a lot of repeat recipes?
T. Martin says
Gotta get my hands on cinnamon chips. Only been able to get them once all these years of baking...
Anna says
Thanks to Michael for catching that I forgot to put butter in the ingredient list. The amount is 2 sticks (1 cup/230 grams).